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Cool Girls Society: Hallie Shano Cecere of Necessitees

Hallie has been a friend and mentor to me for over a decade. In fact, she was my first employer in the fashion district of L.A. when i studied at FIDM! She taught me all the necessitees (had to.) of LA living, designer handbag 101, gave me my 70s rock and roll education, that money doesn’t buy style, and was basically the first #girlboss I met other than my own mom!

Cool Girl! Hallie Shano- Cecere! What do you do?

I am the Director of sales and design at Necessitees Apparel.

What does your day look like?

HS-My first few hours of the day is spent wearing my mommy hat to your 3.5 year old -baby P, and then I proceed to downtown LA to put on my Necessitees hat, where I act as the creative director of sales & design. I have been in the clothing business since I was a teenager, so it’s easy for me to transition form mommy mode into putting on my shmata hat. I oversee everything from design and fit, and color palette strategy, to customer relations, travelling, and sale force.

What was your dream when you were growing up?

Owning a retail store. I used to play “shop” growing up with my friends and hang all of my clothes up in my room.

What are your top 5 beauty products or gadgets to get you through the day?

1.)Iphone! Does that count??

2.) Beauty blender –Sephora

3.) Clea de peau undereye concealer to make me look awake.

4.) Bite “glace” lip crayon

5.) Naphcon ye drops

6.) Eyelash extensions to assist on that “wide awake” look.

What is something no one knows about you?

HS- Aside from not being a real blonde? LOL. That when I was 24 I was the youngest business owner in the California Mart when I opened a multi-line showroom.

And…. I am a huge klutz.

What is something you are hard on yourself about?

I think I am fairly healthy person, but usually my weight if I’m being honest.

What is your favorite social media to participate in?

Instagram for the constant source of inspiration, and facebook to keep up with family and friends.

What are your top three inspirations?

Having been born in raised in California, LA does it like no one else – it will always be a denim & t-shirt town, and the best of the best are coming out of Los Angeles.

– Surfing instagram is a new and fabulous way for any inspiration and direction and it is amazing to see what it has done for so many brands and busineses. It’s an amazing tool if you utilize it in a strategic way.

-Walking around tradeshows, shopping, or in the garment district seems to be a huge force in inspiration for me as well.

Who is someone who inspires you?

Miraslava duma// Elyse walker

How did you find your voice for creating your brand?

Filling the void. Listening to the modern women who finds it important to buy domestically made goods and a great quality, exceptional value, creating an honest to goodness product/ garment.

What’s your favorite part of my job?

Just happened here at the apparel trade show- seeing one of my designs walk by me on a normal woman walking down the street! The payoff of hard work is seeing your concept come to life.

What is the most difficult part of your job?

There are many different personalities you have to work with and cater to when running a business some of which are difficult, but the hardest part is leaving my family when I am constantly travelling every other month for my line.

How do you recharge?

Aside form constant caffiene, checking out magazines and blogs for inspiration gets me charged! I like to see what is new and fresh and what the future of fashion holds is so crucial and such a huge part of what you do.

How to you consistently crank out creative content?

With tees, a good tshirt or knit is not something as creative as what, say, Tom ford or Isabel Marant are doing, but I listen to what my customers needs are. My customer is typically a missy-soccer mom demographic and she has different needs than some of my competitors offer. My biggest thing has always been filling the void.

How do you find balance in your work life/friends/family/hobbies?

Exhale. When I am home I wear my mommy/ wife hat and when I am in my pink showroom I wear my business owner hat. At night once I put down my child or on the weekends, I make time for family and friends. You have to, work is constant work, being a mom and wife is constant work, being the glue in my friendships is constant work, but you have to make time the best you can. I think after years of practice with balance I usually don’t spill my wine. Or coffee. Or both.

If you could dedicate more time to something in your life what would it be?

More philanthropy. It’s easy to write checks but I would like to make time for actually giving my time and showing my daughter that compassion.

How do you measure success?

Happy customers, happy home life, just happiness. It’s not measured in dollars or how many Porsche’s you have…that’s nice but happiness and positivity is key. Sometimes money is not what it’s about.

What is the best way for gals interested in following in your footsteps to get their foot in the door in your industry?

Learn as much as you can, listen, don’t necessarily work for the hottest line out there, but work for someone who is going to teach you all the basics, how to hang a garment, cut strings, and the ins and outs of running and maintaining a successful business.

Courtney McEntire is a jean genie working and playing in San Diego, CA. She aspires to travel the whole world, collect every Red-Orange shade of lipstick in the market, taste test every Mexican food restaurant, meet every #girlboss, and one day complete every list she has written in her planner. Most of all Courtney wants to be a cheerleader for girls doing cool things like the Spice Girls told her to do.